‘The short story form demands a respect for the limitations of time and space, and enables a focus on the particular, the intimate, and the fleeting.’

‘I want story and forward momentum. For me, this is what crime delivers’

‘Events help bring people back to books – and if not, at least they will still have had a fun night!’

‘Write from the heart – write what scares you, what interests you; write out your most embarrassing thoughts. This is the stuff of common humanity.’

‘Reading is endemic – we all love stories, and that survives.’